Originally Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar. He became one of the triumvirate, along with Marc Antony and Lepidus, that ruled Rome after Caesar's assassination in 44 BC. At the Battle of Actium in 31, he defeated Antony and became the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, remaining in power until his death in 14 AD. The Senate awarded him the name Augustus ("revered"), Sebastos in Greek. The stability during his reign introduced a Roman peace (pax romana) upon the Mediterranean world (a factor that later helped make possible the rapid spread of Christian faith).

 

During his lifetime, Augustus allowed himself to be worshipped as a god in the provinces, though not in Rome itself. We find the ruins of his temples at Caesarea Maritima, Sebastia and Banias. After his death, his divinity permeated Rome.